... the battle of Marton's Bridge ...
Kalik, halfling initiate of Avoreen;
Milik, halfling sorcerer;
Kendradell, female half-elf bard & initiate of Lydia <absent
this week>;
Nikolai, suloise human acolyte of Lendor;
Marcus, half-elf acolyte of Hieroneous;
Tarqualan, high elf mystic;
Naazi, centaur mystic and initiate of Tritherion;
and finally;
Demios, dwur initiate of Clangeddin.
[15th of Reaping, 578]
We began the evening basically hashing out the ambush plan that the group would have come up with when they first scouted out the site they'd chosen. As they rode to the site, however, a lookout was spotted sitting at the highest point, obviously guarding against just such an occurrence.
As Naazi climbed the hill to talk with him, he drew a bead on him with the crossbow he'd held across his lap. When Marcus drew his bow in response, the lookout fired at him instead. Within seconds, two arrows and a crossbow bolt slammed into the watchman, tumbling him from his perch...
As Naazi and Kalik rounded the bolder he'd fallen behind, they saw him sprout another pair of arms as he gathered up the weapons lying there. Kalik used the chameleon powers of the Sword of Nogre to vanish as the watchman swung at where he'd been, all the while calling upon Hextor to aid him in this fight. Hearing that call to battle, Marcus spurred his own horse into action, charging up the hill to do battle with the enemy of his faith.
Meanwhile, Naazi and the watchman traded blows, while Kalik danced in and out, striking unseen. When Marcus reached the top of the hill, a single stroke of his axe felled the watchman. Feeling the press of time upon them (their lead on the carriage was measured in minutes) they dressed Kalik's henchman, Vesper, in the armor of the fallen watchman, and assumed their positions along the road below...
As the carriage and it's honor guard finally came into view, there were some tense moments as they waited to see if their ruse were discovered; but a simple wave from the hilltop seemed to satisfy the troops that all was well. As the carriage crossed onto the bridge at the foot of the hill, they felled the tree they'd cut the day before across the road, crushing four of the orcish retainers who led the entourage. The rest of the party surged out onto the road, engaging the human troops bringing up the rear.
Kalik, as was the plan (and still under the chameleon effect of the
spell he'd cast earlier) leapt into the carriage with the Duke,
Kendradell, and another figure who wore a silken mask to hide his face.
Even as he did so, Nikolai sent his temporal spirit within the coach to
freeze the masked one, but the masked one vanished, instead. As Kalik fought
with the Duke in the confines of the carriage, the battle raged outside,
as well...
As Marcus and the others fought outside, the remaining orcish troops rode back across the river to engage them; at almost the same time, a new force rode onto the field, wearing the colors and weaponry of both Procan and Velnius. Though they initially limited their attacks to the Duke's retainers, once Naazi had lifted Kendradell from the carriage any who sheltered her became targets for their attentions, as well.
The masked sorcerer appeared on the hill where the watchman had been, and struck both Demios and vesper with lightning. As he prepared to rain destruction down on the field below, however, clouds could be seen scuttling in overhead, and shortly a single thunderclap was heard, and a stroke of lightning blasted the sorcerer from his perch.
Meanwhile, down below, a swirling tower of water arose in the stream the bridge crossed, and after smashing several of the orcish troops, turned itself on Naazi and Kendradell. It tore her from his arms, and would likely have set a course down river with her had Kalik not dispelled it. More of the new horsemen tried forcing her back along the riverbank, but a burst of fire from Milik set the leader racing downstream.
As Demios beheaded the fallen sorcerer, a sphere of crackling energy appeared above his body, but was quickly frozen in time by Nikolai's bound spirit. Though ominous looking, it seemed held in abeyance, for the moment...
Eventually, the last of the troops on both sides were either slain or taken prisoner, and the party began to take stock of the carnage surrounding them...
[15th of Reaping, 578]